🟢 Matrix Code Breaker — Building a Cyberpunk Memory Game with React & Next.js

At Reactive Tech Solutions
, our web agency in Nancy (France), we love building side projects that push our stack beyond client work.

This time, we created Matrix Code Breaker — a browser game inspired by The Matrix, mixing React state management, Next.js performance, and a cyberpunk design system.

🎮 👉 Try the live demo here: Matrix Code Breaker

⚙️ Tech Stack

We used the same modern stack we rely on for client projects:

Next.js 15 (App Router) — SEO-ready & performant

React 19 — hooks, state-driven logic

Canvas API — for the Matrix rain background effect

React Icons — neon-style cyberpunk icons

Scoped CSS (Modules + style jsx) — glowing borders, animations, cyberpunk vibes

Fullscreen API — for immersive hacking mode

🎮 Gameplay & Features

The gameplay is simple but increasingly challenging:

A sequence of characters is displayed (numbers, letters, symbols, Greek, Unicode…).

The player must reproduce it exactly in order.

Each new level adds difficulty:

longer sequences

faster display speed

more character sets

limited time & only 3 lives

The game includes 20 progressive levels, ending with chaotic magenta Unicode madness.

HUD (Heads-Up Display)

Level indicator → current progress

Score counter → scales with level and speed

Timer → infiltration countdown

Lives → 3 chances before “Access Denied”

Bonus counter → track available power-ups

💎 Bonus System

To add strategy, we built four power-ups players can trigger anytime:

💡 Highlight → reveals the next expected character

⏰ Slow Motion → replays the sequence slowly

⏱️ Extra Time → adds 30 seconds to the timer

🚀 Skip Level → instantly move to the next level

Every 5 levels, you earn additional bonuses. This forces players to choose wisely when to activate them.

Example logic:

const useBonus = (type) => {
  if (bonuses <= 0) return;
  switch(type) {
    case 'extraTime':
      setTimeLeft(timeLeft + 30);
      break;
    case 'skipLevel':
      setLevel(level + 1);
      break;
  }
};

🖼️ Cyberpunk UI & Design

We wanted Matrix Code Breaker to feel like a hacker terminal.

Key design features:

Matrix rain canvas → infinite green flow in the background

Glowing neon borders → CSS box-shadow + text-shadow animations

3D flip animations → characters reveal with blur + rotation

Color progression →

Levels 1–5 → Green

Levels 6–10 → Cyan

Levels 11–15 → Yellow

Levels 16–20 → Magenta

Example of a reveal animation:

@keyframes matrixCharReveal {
  0% { opacity: 0; transform: scale(0.3) rotateY(180deg); filter: blur(15px); }
  50% { opacity: 0.8; transform: scale(1.2) rotateY(45deg); filter: blur(4px); }
  100% { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1) rotateY(0); filter: blur(0); }
}

🖥️ Fullscreen Immersion

One of the coolest features is the fullscreen mode.
The game uses the Fullscreen API to transform into a terminal-like layout:

HUD becomes compact

Bonus panel turns into a grid

Character grid resizes dynamically

Immersive “Matrix hacking” experience

Example:

if (!document.fullscreenElement) {
  gameContainerRef.current.requestFullscreen();
} else {
  document.exitFullscreen();
}

📱 Responsive & Optimized

Since we’re a web agency, we ensured:

Mobile-first responsive design — smooth on 320px screens

Performance — optimized canvas drawing, CSS hardware acceleration

SEO optimization — metadata, OG image, keywords like matrix game react

Our Lighthouse scores:

⚡ Performance: 92

♿ Accessibility: 95

✅ Best Practices: 96

🔒 SEO: 100

🚀 Why We Built It

At Reactive Tech Solutions
, we usually build websites, e-commerce, and custom web applications for clients.

Matrix Code Breaker was an opportunity to:

Experiment with gamification using React/Next.js

Push animations & UX design further

Prove that websites can be interactive and immersive

Show clients that the web can go beyond static pages

🔗 Try It Yourself

👉 Play live: Matrix Code Breaker

👉 Discover our agency: Reactive Tech Solutions

📝 Final Thoughts

This project demonstrates how React & Next.js can be used not only for business websites but also for gamified experiences that increase engagement.

And if you’re a business owner — imagine these mechanics applied to:

Gamified contact forms

Interactive product demos

Playful onboarding flows

That’s exactly the kind of creative digital experience we deliver at Reactive Tech Solutions
.

💬 Would you add Matrix-style gamification to your website to hook users?